The biggest hip-hop magazine is debuting its first foreign edition this month in France, a move that is the first in a series of overseas editions.

“This is a further element of a dream for me,” said David Mays, the founder and CEO of The Source. “France is definitely one of the top international hip-hop markets. Hip-hop is being embraced globally by youth.”

Mays said The Source has a number of deals pending for more foreign editions, and that he hopes to launch local-language editions in Asia and in Spanish-speaking parts of the world.

The Source France debuts this month, and will have an initial distribution of 80,000 copies – roughly equal to the circulation of the top French-language hip-hop magazines Groove and R.A.P.

Many of the biggest U.S. hip-hop stars, such as Nas and Jay-Z, are popular in France, Mays noted.

The French edition will retain the look and feel of the American version. It will contain some of the same articles – translated into French – as well as original, localized features.

The French publishing house Arcadia will produce the edition, and will pay The Source a licensing fee.